FAA statistics show a total of approximately 5,175 public-use airports in the U.S., down by approximately 170 since 2000. While many of the lost facilities were small strips suitable solely for small aircraft, there were a few notable closures such as the infamous midnight destruction of Chicago’s Meigs Field in 2003 and the closure of Atlantic City New Jersey’s Bader Field in 2006. According to the statistics, 27 facilities closed their doors in 2006, ranking that year as first for airport closures since 2000.
In many cases, the locations that closed were privately owned facilities with based aircraft and on-field operations that perhaps were established by aviation-minded individuals whose family no longer wanted to operate them. In some cases such fields saved. One example is Indianapolis Executive Airport (formerly Terry Airport), which was purchased by Hamilton County and remains a viable facility with more than 100 operations a day.
More In Airports
